Sopes are a classic Mexican dish made with masa. They are thick, smaller tortillas pressed around the edges to form a border. Making homemade sopes is easy, and they can be served as an appetizer, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
What are sopes?
A sope is a thick corn tortilla made with masa harina with a border around the edges. This border helps to keep all the fillings inside. Sopes are deep-fried or cooked on a comal (Mexican stovetop griddle (affiliate link)).
Sopes are typical in all of Mexico, but depending on your region, the fillings will be different. My recipe is vegan and healthier than the traditional one.
How to make Mexican homemade Sopes? The authentic way
- Make the masa para sopes. It is really easy to make them. The first step is to mix masa harina (affiliate link) (corn flour) with warm water in a bowl to form a soft dough.
- Make the tortillas. Roll the masa into small balls and press with a tortilla press to form a thick-small-tortilla.
- Cook. You cook this thick tortilla on a cast iron skillet (affiliate link) or griddle (affiliate link) over medium heat until it looks “dry” and the top cracks a bit. Then you flip and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Pinch the edges. When you take it out of the heat, let it sit for 30 seconds, and then start pinching the edges with your fingers. Be careful; they’re hot. You can use a kitchen towel so you don’t burn your fingers.
- If you want to fry them, now is the time. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil, and fry the sope until it is crispy to perfection on both sides.
How to finish sopes?
After those four easy steps, you are ready to start preparing them the way you want. You can prepare them with anything you will prepare a taco. Think of homemade sopes as an open taco that will taste delicious with everything you put on top.
Prepare them with refried beans, chorizo, mushrooms, or just salsa. You can store them in the fridge or freezer and reheat them before using them.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a tortilla presser? No. You can press the dough balls with any dish with a flat bottom or a small cutting board.
How to store them? Fridge. Let them cool and then wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and store them in a tightly sealed container or plastic bag. ( I use recyclable ones). They will last up to a week.
Freezer. Let the sopes cool and ultimately stored them in a tightly sealed container or plastic bag. They last up to a month in the freezer.
How to reheat the sopes? You can reheat them on the stove over a griddle or in the oven at 350ºF for 15 minutes.
Tips for the best sopes
- You can use this Mexican sopes recipe for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In Mexico, we eat them all the time.
- I prepared these with refried beans, shredded romaine lettuce, vegan Mexican cream, and salsa.
- Serve with Mexican crema or with cashew sour cream
- I love them with red salsa or salsa verde. Here are three recipes for salsa verde: Authentic Mexican salsa verde and Mexican salsa verde two ways.
- Homemade sopes taste delicious with the potato-chorizo filling I used for the vegan pambazos.
- But any way you prepare them, always finish them with Mexican pickled red onions for extra yumminess and crunch.
Other Mexican salsa recipes to serve the sopes
Salsa verde, authentic recipe
Salsa verde, two ways
Enchilada sauce, the best sauce
Salsa molcajeteada
2-ingredient Mexican Salsa
Creamy avocado salsa verde
For me, the home has always been where my family lives. I am a Mexican living in the USA, and love both countries equally. But I do have to confess that every time I prepare Mexican food, my heart lights up a bit.
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Homemade sopes
Equipment
- Griddle
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 2 tablespoons neutral tasting oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
To serve:
- 1½ cup refried beans
- 2-3 cups sliced romaine lettuce
- Mexican salsa
- Mexican pickled red onion
- vegan sour cream or Mexican crema
Instructions
- Mix the masa harina with the salt and oil; little by little add the water. If you need more, just add it in subtle quantities. The idea is to achieve the consistency of a soft dough.
- Heat a pan or skillet on high heat. To cook the sopes, the skillet or pan has to be on medium-high heat.
- While heating the pan or skillet, form a ball with the masa harina dough and put it between two pieces of plastic. With a plate that has a flat bottom, apply pressure until you have a flat and even disk or a thick tortilla.
- Put each masa disk on the pan until it looks dry on top. Turn it over and leave it until cooked. As soon as you pull it out of the griddle pinch the edges with your fingers. Be careful not to burn yourself, it will be very hot.
- Repeat until done. When the sopes are ready, add a tablespoon or two of the refried beans, then some lettuce, Mexican salsa, and a dollop of cream.
- You can also add red onion or pickled onion and some sliced chiles.
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
A Couple Cooks’ adoption story inspires this post.
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I have a Profesional Certification in vegan cooking; in the world of cooking based on vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes… in clean, organic and vegan food.
My cookbook is called Yo Cocino Latino..
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I love mexican sopes!! Thank you for the recipe!! I added sliced fresh jalapenos to finish them and fthey were excellent. Saludos!
Thanks for the recipe! I always wanted to make sopes at home. I think I will use the chickpeas and chorizo relleno you mentioned.
Never heard of sopes before but I used to have a tortilla press that I left in São Paulo when came to the US that you have made me want to have again. And the smell of Mexico. That’s what I recall the most from my unforgettable trip to your country.❤️
wow! vuestra cocina es súper amplia y completa! otro nuevo descubrimiento que estoy deseando probar
I love the homemade sopes. Thanks for your recipes
Que buen aspecto y las fotos maravillosas, muchas ganas de probarlo
Que delicia! Uno de mis platillos favoritos son los sopes se ven deliciosos con esos frijoles! Yummy gracias por la receta!!
Adoro las sopas mexicanas y general toda la sazón. Nunca había probado sopa de desayuno pero lo haré… La salsas verde y roja son un must! Definitivamente esa mezcla de tradición, familia y sabor que se conjuga en cada uno de estos platos es un festín multisensorial. Gracias por compartir!
Cada vez que descubro una nueva receta mexicana me encanta!!! Por supuesto la que nos muestras hoy probaré a hacerla muy pronto, se ve deliciosa
There’s nothing like homemade sopes! they are just so yummy, we love to eat them (and make them) at home.
I love sopes, they are so versatile, bean sopes are my absolutely favorite! And they are great homemade!
Bellísimas las fotos y la historia. No sabía que los sopes se comen en el desayuno…. con estas lecturas nunca dejo de aprender cosas interesantes de cada uno de nuestros países. Mil gracias por la receta.